Hello again! It hasn’t been too long since our last update but the good times continue to roll on here in the Canaan Valley. Since the last update many more adventures have taken place. The in- campers have mastered their first rotation of interest groups and moved on to round 2 where they will continue to live even more balanced lives.
Wednesday was relatively normal to begin with. Camp continued on as usual, that is, until dinner when we had CRAZY DINNER! Seeing as it’s my first year here I had no idea what to expect. I put on a funky shirt that has a bow tie painted on it and thought that was going to be crazy enough to cover it but boy was I wrong. I looked totally normal in comparison to the campers! I saw bright colors, backwards and inside out clothes, someone dressed as a banana, the list goes on and only gets more insane. It was a wild night, there were song challenges left and right the whole dinner and the order of events at dinner went wacky as well. It was a blast seeing everyone getting as goofy as possible.
There have been tons of fun night activities going on every night too. The Trailblazers and Pioneers switched and both got a turn to play Gold Rush and Capture the Flag. the next day however they all got together and got to spend a night enjoying MV Idol! MV Idol is a night when the staff gets together to showcase all their talents and give the campers a show. Tears of laughter were shed, giggles echoed throughout camp and it was a fun night of entertainment for everyone. You would be impressed to see all the talent we have on our staff but what it got me really excited for was to see what talents the campers have to offer… but that’s for another night.
Friday was a big day at camp, it started with more goodbyes, this time for the Trailblazers boys who were off to hike for a bit so we sent them on their merry way. After a full day of Interest Group activities in beautiful weather, a storm kept us inside for Night’s Doings. The Pioneer campers traveled to a land where wizards, elves, and dragons battled it out in Middle Earth Duel, while the Trailblazer girls got to play dodge ball in the Bahn.
Today the sun was back in full force and everyone was excited for the events of the sunny warm day to unfold. The Trailblazer girls left for their canoe trip where they will enjoy the night on islands in the middle of Newfound Lake. Night’s Doings was a camper favorite – Camper Leader Hunt! Staff members hide around Merrowvista and campers must travel together in their villages searching for leaders, coordinators, and specialists. When they find a staff member, if they know the person’s name then they get 1 point for everyone they find. Madison Explorer village helped out the younger villages this year, and each camper from Madison joined a different Pioneer village to guide them around Merrowvista and give them hints on where staff members were hiding.
We’re looking forward to another sunny day tomorrow as the Trailblazers return to camp, the 2-week Pioneers prepare for their overnight trips, and 3-week Pioneers and Trailblazers enjoy Beach Party!
If you haven’t seen already you can keep up with what your campers are doing not just here but by looking at our gallery right here! http://www.smugmug.com